NYCHA residents give NYC Council members tour of living conditions

New York City Council members toured a NYCHA development in Brooklyn Monday for a first-hand look at the problems public housing residents have been living with.

The visit comes as the council looks to put billions of dollars into repairs for New York City public housing in the next budget.

NYCHA residents are leading council members on an "inspection tour" to show them the conditions of their homes.

The tours began at the Breukelen Houses in East New York.

Other visits will take place through the month at NYCHA complexes around the city, looking at problems such as crumbling walls, leaking pipes, rodents and dangerous mold.

Tenants and housing advocates say the objective is to force the city to acknowledge the issues and put enough money in the next city budget to repair them.

"We want Mayor de Blasio to put money in the budget so we can get this fixed," said NYCHA tenant Tita Concepcion. "Once and for all, for everyone, not just my building but for everyone. No one should be made to live like this."

In addition to repairing NYCHA's problems, the City Council is also supporting a proposal to build additional senior housing on existing NYCHA property.